During the past few weeks the team at Gowrie NSW Mudgee Early Education and Care have been reviewing the centre philosophy to ensure that it truly represents the values and beliefs embedded in current practice.
Mandy Edwards, Gowrie NSW Mudgee centre director, involved all her staff in discussing the philosophy, believing that a diverse blend of values, beliefs and attitudes is essential to form the fundamental principles that guide practice.
“We first broke up into three teams, with two educators in each, and they were given a blank canvas. Each team was then asked to represent a section of our centre philosophy onto the canvas,” Mandy said.
Kathy and Bec painted a picture of people connecting hands, around a world. This picture reflected a key part of the centre’s philosophy which is based on respect for diversity and culture within our community by connection and relationships with our families, elders and region.
Bessie and Helen’s painting portrayed the main play space with splatters of paint depicting our belief in a playful environment that is happy and engaging for children, educators and families.
Mandy and Prue painted an image that they felt represented children’s interests, reflecting upon the belief that we see children as inquisitive individuals with their own interests, showing that we value and respect children’s voices and opinions.
“During this review we also added a section to our centre philosophy to focus on our natural environment and commitment to purchasing natural resources and sustainability into our daily practices,” Mandy said.
The educators at Gowrie NSW Mudgee Early Education and Care really enjoyed the activity and the canvasses are now displayed in the hallway of the centre for families, children and visitors to view.
About Gowrie NSW
Gowrie NSW is a non-profit-organisation founded in 1940, providing diverse education and care, family support and professional development services to the early and middle childhood sector across NSW and ACT.
With a focus on research and contemporary pedagogical methodology, we have demonstrated a strong leadership commitment to working in partnership across generations to provide a range of programs and resources that support children, families and education professionals.
